Denial || An OBX Story

Chapter Two

Madeline woke up early with John B to help him get ready for his meeting with DCS. She knew he was having a hard time getting over the disappearance of his father, and quite honestly she was having a rough time too.

Madeline actually comes from a little bit of a rough background. Her parents died in a car accident about year or two ago taking some of the weight off of her shoulders. She grew up in a toxic household, her parents fought constantly and she'd usually end up getting dragged into it.

Her older brother Logan wasn't any help. Him being favorited by the toxic couple ruined the relationship between him and Maddie. Once he caught their dad hitting Maddie... in order to keep him from telling anyone, their parents made it okay for Logan to hit her.

So, yeah, you guessed it. Maddie avoided going home as much as she possibly could. It was only her brother but he was worse than ever. She had to check in every other day to prevent him from calling the cops.

If the cops caught her, she'd be stuck with him for at least two more years.

Big John always welcomed Madeline into the chateau with open arms, having a vague idea of what happened at her house. But John B? He knew everything, at least up until the point of where she checks in every other day. He just thought she stopped going and hasn't seen him in months.

She uses makeup to cover bruises, and ice to minimize swelling. It managed to get her by until the markings faded from her body.

"Hey, just remember that whenever they ask about Uncle T that you saw him today before you left." Madeline shouts, flipping a few soft pancakes in a hot pan.

"Yeah, I know Mads." He replies with a mouthful of toothpaste.

He brushes his teeth so fast that there was no way that they were actually clean. "Pancakes are on the table." She says, placing the hot plate at the end of the table.

She looks over the three layer stack of pancakes, proud of her doings

He runs out of the bathroom, wiping his still wet mouth on his arm. "Thank you." He manages to mumble quickly, but before she could reply he drops into the chair so roughly that he nearly makes it fall over.

"My god, how are you so clumsy." She groans, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of
Sunny-D for him to chug down. But, when she turns around two of the three pancakes she made him we're already gone. "I guess someone's hungry."

John B nods with a face full of pancakes, sticky syrup on the corners of his mouth.

When he finishes he quickly stands up, hitting his knee on the table. He immediately flops back into the chair and pulls his knee up to his chest. Apparently he forgot how physics work and his weight makes the chair fall backwards.

Normally, Madeline would laugh at these types of things. But, she knew how rough of a morning it was gonna be for him.

She places the spatula in the sink and walks over to him, getting down on one knee and placing a hand on his shoulder, assisting him to sit up. "Are you alright?"

John B pulls his knees into his chest, crosses his arms, and drops his head onto them. "Why does it have to be like this?" He mumbles.

Maddie rubs his back, hoping to comfort him. "I don't know." She answers honestly. She really didn't. Big John was one of the last people who deserved to go 'missing'. And yes, John B was a trouble maker. But not to the point where he deserved to lose his father. "Let's just see how today goes, and then maybe when you get home we can surf?"

John B lifts his head from his arms, a smirk tugging at the side of his mouth. "Surfing?" He asks quietly, making a smile form on Maddie's face. "I'll be home as soon as possible." He says jokingly.